There are substantially more delivery vehicles on Kentucky roads now than there were a decade ago. The rise of online commerce has shifted how people shop, and now some retailers have their own delivery fleets to keep costs as low as possible.
For those with the driving skill and work ethic necessary, delivery work can offer competitive wages and often good benefits. However, being a delivery driver comes with a lot of risk. Car crashes are a leading cause of workplace fatalities in the United States, and you are also at risk of throwing out your back while lifting something heavy.
You may never have expected to slip on an icy section of driveway while dropping off a package, but that can happen as well. What protects you when you fall on someone’s property while working as a delivery driver?
You might qualify for workers’ compensation
If you are an employee, not an independent contractor, then the company that hired you should provide you with workers’ compensation coverage. Those benefits will replace at least some of your lost wages and pay for your medical treatment.
However, since delivery drivers make competitive wages, workers’ compensation may fall far short of what they need to make to balance their budget. Especially if a delivery driver suffers a traumatic brain injury or another serious injury that keeps them out of work for weeks, they may need to look into a personal injury claim.
Homeowner’s insurance can help
Both landlords and individual property owners typically carry insurance coverage to protect them from premises liability. If you fall while delivering packages on someone else’s property, there should be a homeowner’s insurance or commercial premises liability insurance policy that will cover you.
You can potentially make a claim for all of the expenses you have incurred that workers’ compensation will not cover. Property damage losses, like the phone that you smashed when you fell could be recoverable in an insurance claim. You could also claim the remainder of your lost wages. When there isn’t an insurance policy that applies, you may have no choice but to take the property owner to civil court.
Typically, those hurt on someone else’s property or while working should not have to absorb those costs themselves. Learning more about your rights, including the right to file a workers’ compensation claim, can help you recover from your recent delivery-related injury.